Elf

Will Ferrell plays Buddy, a giant
screaming love bunny of an oversized
elf-man in this cloying and yet
entertaining look at interspecies love.
Adopted by Santa as an infant, Buddy is
raised by an elf (Bob Newhart) who
lavishes him with candy and tight green
panties. When he reaches maturity
(apparently that would be the late 30s in
elf-years), he decides to go to New York
City to find his real father, eat gum off the
sidewalk and recycle every other
Christmas film ever made. Combining
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
with Scrooge, Its a Wonderful Life
and Triumph of the Will, the plot
has Buddy rescuing his dad (James
Caan) from unChristmasy feelings,
rescuing his little brother from mean
bullies and rescuing Santa Claus from
the Bush administrations task force on
eliminating jollyness and
non-commercial gift giving. In the end,
everyone is happy and peace reigns upon
the land and director Jon Favreau makes
a lot of money and never again has to
hang around with the cynical hipster pals
who initially launched his career.
ByJames DiGiovanna